The Postage Stamp Vegetable Garden by Karen Newcomb (Book Review)

Disclosure of material connection-  I received a copy of the book from the publisher via Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.

About the book-

This classic gardening bestseller (over 500,000 copies sold) uses ecologically friendly, intensive biodynamic methods to produce large amounts of vegetables in very tiny spaces. Revised for an all new generation of gardeners, the 40th anniversary edition includes brand new information on the variety of heirloom vegetables available today and how to grow them the postage stamp way. 

     To accommodate today's lifestyles, a garden needs to fit easily into a very small plot, take as little time as possible to maintain, require a minimum amount of water, and still produce prolifically. That's exactly what a postage stamp garden does. Postage stamp gardens are as little as 4 by 4 feet, and, after the initial soil preparation, they require very little extra work to produce a tremendous amount of vegetables--for instance, a 5-by-5-foot bed will produce a minimum of 200 pounds of vegetables.

When first published 40 years ago, the postage stamp techniques, including closely planted beds rather than rows, vines and trailing plants grown vertically to free up space, and intercropping, were groundbreaking. Now, in an ever busier world, the postage stamp intensive gardening method continues to be invaluable for gardeners who wish to weed, water, and work a whole lot less yet produce so much more.

My thoughts-

I started planting my own little garden 3 years ago when we moved into our new house. I didn't have much to go on and I don't have a naturally green thumb so I try to pick up books on gardening when I can. I do not have a huge space for a garden in my backyard so I have only been growing a few different types of crops each year. I was so excited to hear about the postage stamp method in The Postage Stamp Vegetable Garden. The idea is to grow as many types of vegetables and herbs you can in a very small space. The book is full of great information. There are some wonderful layout ideas at the beginning of the book if you don't have any idea of what you want to do already. There are also some great tips for getting the soil ready and composting. The best part though is the list of all the crops you can grow, which will do well in a postage stamp garden (and which ones will grow well together or hinder each other), how long each will take to grow and other important information for growing these plants. There is also a handy guide towards  back that lists which bugs can be a problem for each different type of vegetable and what you can do to take care of it. I love that this book is on organic gardening and also lists some heirloom and non-gmo sources to get your seeds from. In fact, there is a pretty comprehensive list of seed sellers at the end of the book and it lists the specifics of each company (organic, non-gmo, heirloom,ect.). This book will be very useful for an newbie backyard gardener like me (yes, I still consider myself new to this 3 years in. For me, it is a continual learning process). I look forward to hopefully having more things growing and higher yields this year! And there truly is nothing like eating something fresh out of your garden!

Rodale's Basic Organic Gardening: A Beginners Guide to Starting a Healthy Garden by Deborah L. Martin

Disclosure- I received an advanced reader's copy of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.

About the book:

When the inspiration hits to start an organic garden, many novices could benefit from a guidebook that speaks directly to their enthusiasm, their goals, and, of course, their need for solid information that speaks a newbie’s language—from the most trusted source for organic gardening methods.


In Rodale’s Basic Organic Gardening, general garden-building skills (from "Do I need to dig?" to "Where do I dig?") and specific techniques (from "How do I plant a seed?" to "How much should I water?") are presented in growing-season order—from garden planning and planting to growing and harvesting. Many other need-to-know topics like soil, compost, seeds, pest control, and weeds are explained in simple language to ensure success, even on a small scale, on the first try. More than 100 common garden terms are defined, and Smart Starts sidebars offer doable projects to build confidence and enthusiasm for expanding a garden when a gardener is ready. A flower, vegetable, and herb finder highlights easycare plants with good track records. Plus, there are no-dig garden methods, simple garden layouts, and tips and hints inspired by the most popular page views on OrganicGardening.com.


With a "no question is unwelcome" approach, a troubleshooting section lessens frustrations and encourages experimentation. Rodale’s Basic Organic Gardening is everything a beginning gardener (or one who’s new to gardening organically) needs to get growing and keep a garden going strong all season.

My thoughts:

I am not someone who was born with the green thumb. There are gardeners in my family but none that live close enough to me for me to go check out what they do to get their crops. I have had enough home grown tomatoes to know that they taste way better than the kind you buy at the stores. I have mentioned on this blog countless times too, about my  quest since my kids came into this world to help them (and my husband and I) establish better eating habits and there is no better way to do that than grow your own food. 3 years ago I tried, and failed, to grow just a few things in my backyard. I lived at a house that was full of gorgeous shade trees that coupled with my novice status as a gardener, I just didn't have the information I needed to really get what I wanted out of planting things. Last year, newly moved into our first home we have owned, I knew I needed (and wanted) to try again. I can not remember what all I planted, but I do know I got spinach, cilantro and zucchini to grow. I have read several gardening books since then trying to figure out what it is I need to do to get things to grow for me and while all of the ones I have read thus far have good information, none of them have been as thorough and extensive as this one. I absolutely want our food to be as pure as possible so I plan to use organic gardening methods, so this is the absolute perfect book for me. I ordered all heirloom/non-gmo seeds from Baker's Creek and have already started several indoors. Rodale's Basic Organic Gardening covers everything about growing your own food starting with the soil and ending with knowing when and how to pick your crops. I found the section on easy to grow plants for beginners extremely helpful and I know that when the books comes out and I buy a hard copy, I will be referring to this book often to get the most I can out of my garden. My goal is to have enough to be able to share! I also really enjoyed the sections on making your own compost and saving seeds to use. Saving seeds would be a real money saver and also a great way to keep these great heirloom crops in circulation. I definitely plan to give it a go.

Beyond the actual planting and growing, there are tips for taking care of weeds, good bugs vs. bad bugs and pretty much anything a new (or new-ish) organic gardener would need to know. I highly recommend this book to absolutely anyone who is interested in becoming a home gardener. This book has absolutely everything you need to know.


Rodale's Basic Organic Gardening will be available for purchase March 11, 2014. You can pre-order a copy on Amazon.com.

Connect with Rodale on Facebook
Connect with Rodale on Twitter
Connect with Deborah L. Martin on Goodreads
Rodalenews.com

Happy Earth Day! Tree Giveaway!

Hi everyone! Today is such an important day. In 1970 Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson, an environmental and conservationist activist, took the lead in starting the very first Earth day. He realized even then that we were on a parth to enviornmental disaster.

Today it is more important than ever to get back to taking care of our planet in the choices we make if not for ourselves, for the future generations to come. The good news is there are so many things you can do to help this cause! One thing you can do is plant a little garden at your house. Another is conserving energy and using natural resources. In celebration of Earth Day today, my kids and I are going to go outside and pick up trash around our neighborhood. That is just another small way you can help. A big thing you can do is recycle! It's so easy! Most neighborhoods even provide you a recycle bin. Utilize it! If you live in an apartment, there are recycle banks you can go to as well. Another great thing you can do is plant trees. This is really important. Arbor.Org makes that easy for you. If you pay just $10 to become a member, they will send you 10 free trees to plant! That is not much for that many trees! If you don't have somewhere to plant the trees, you can choose to have those trees planted in a forest in need. With your memership, you are also given a discount to trees in the nursery shop at arborday.org. These are some great deals. I have always wanted fruit and nut trees, so I plan to buy some to plant for the fall.

I wanted to do something special for Earth Day since it is so important, so I am giving away a 6 month membership to The Arbor Day Foundation! You can chose whether you want the 10 trees to plant for yourself (or you could share some with friends) or you can donate your ten trees to a forest in need and still receive the discounts on trees for the duration of your membership. Spring trees have already been sent out so if you chose to get the ten trees for yourself, it is possible they won't be delivered until this fall. You can email arborday.org and ask  them to override the date if you want. However, if you do this, it voids the gaurantee on your trees. The cut off day was only last week, so I really don't think it would make a huge difference if you decided to have your trees delivered for the spring. Join me in taking each step you can in order to better take care of our precious planet!

Please enter using the Rafflecopter form below. Happy Earth Day!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
*Disclaimer- Arborday.org did not sponsor or endorse this post or giveaway in any way. I just really wanted to do something meaningful for Earth day, so this is coming out of my own pocket!

Earth Day Freebies-some really good ones!

There are some great freebies going on tomorrow for Earth Day. If you have always wanted to take better care of the Earth (and yourself) or if you just love getting something for nothing, you don't want to miss out on these great freebies!

My favorite freebie for tomorrow is at Origins. If you take in your empty cosmetics bottles you will get a FREE bottle of moisturizer. Here is what the Origins Facebook page says:

Get your cosmetic empties ready & get ready to run to your nearest Origins store this Sunday, April 22nd. On Earth Day, we’ll give you a FREE A Perfect World™ SPF 25 Age-defense moisturizer with White Tea or Starting Over™ Age-erasing moisturizer with Mimosa just for bringing them in! You don’t want to miss it!

There are a few different places offering free reusable bags. Target is giving away a free resuable bag to each customer on April 22 until supplies run out, so you will want to get there early!

The Disney Store is giving away an adorable bag to customers who bring in 5 plastic bags to recycle. They are also having a scavenger hunt to help you learn more about how to save the planet.

Michael's is having a "make it and take it" craft event going on where you get to decorate a reusable bag in the store and take it with you!

I have heard that Lowe's is giving away a million trees (one per household) but I do not see that information on their website. Call your local store to verify before heading over there. They are offering 10% off energy star appliances.

Pottery Barn Kids is offering a free packet of Sunflower seeds, so don't forget to take your kids over there and then plant the seeds with them in the afternoon!

If you are a coffee drinker head on over to Starbucks and/or http://www.cariboucoffee.com/ with your reusable drink container and get free coffee!

Have you heard of any other Earth Day freebies? Leave them in the comments below!